1.
Ireland
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Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth. Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, in 2011, the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland, the islands geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild, thick woodlands covered the island until the Middle Ages. As of 2013, the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11% of the total, there are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland. The Irish climate is moderate and classified as oceanic. As a result, winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area, however, summers are cooler than those in Continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant, the earliest evidence of human presence in Ireland is dated at 10,500 BC. Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century CE, the island was Christianised from the 5th century onward. Following the Norman invasion in the 12th century, England claimed sovereignty over Ireland, however, English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th–17th century Tudor conquest, which led to colonisation by settlers from Britain. In the 1690s, a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters, with the Acts of Union in 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s and this subsided following a political agreement in 1998. In 1973 the Republic of Ireland joined the European Economic Community while the United Kingdom, Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature. Alongside mainstream Western culture, an indigenous culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music. The culture of the island shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing. The name Ireland derives from Old Irish Eriu and this in turn derives from Proto-Celtic *Iveriu, which is also the source of Latin Hibernia. Iveriu derives from a root meaning fat, prosperous, during the last glacial period, and up until about 9000 years ago, most of Ireland was covered with ice, most of the time

2.
Palace of Whitehall
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Before then, it had grown to be the largest palace in Europe with more than 1,500 rooms, overtaking the Vatican and Versailles. The palace gives its name, Whitehall, to the road on many of the current administrative buildings of the UK government are situated. It is about 650 metres from Westminster Abbey, by the 13th century the Palace of Westminster had become the centre of government in England, and had been the main London residence of the king since 1049. The surrounding area became a popular and expensive location, the Archbishop of York Walter de Grey bought a nearby property as his London residence soon after 1240, calling it York Place. King Edward I stayed at York Place on several occasions while work was carried out at Westminster, and enlarged it to accommodate his entourage. York Place was rebuilt during the 15th century and expanded so much by Cardinal Wolsey that it was rivalled by only Lambeth Palace as the greatest house in London, the Kings London palaces included. The name Whitehall or White Hall was first recorded in 1532, Henry VIII hired Flemish artist Anthony van den Wyngaerde to redesign York Place, and he extended it during his lifetime. Inspired by Richmond Palace, he included a centre with a bowling green, indoor tennis court, a pit for cock fighting. It is estimated more than £30,000 were spent during the 1540s. Henry VIII married two of his wives at the palace—Anne Boleyn in 1533 and Jane Seymour in 1536, Henry died at the palace in January 1547. In 1611 the palace hosted the first known performance of William Shakespeares play The Tempest and its decoration was finished in 1634 with the completion of a ceiling by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, commissioned by Charles I. By 1650 Whitehall Palace was the largest complex of buildings in England. Its layout was irregular, and its constituent parts were of different sizes and in several different architectural styles. Like his father, he died at the palace—but from a stroke, james II ordered various changes by Sir Christopher Wren, including a chapel finished in 1687, rebuilding of the queens apartments, and the queens private lodgings. By 1691 the palace had become the largest and most complex in Europe, on 10 April a fire broke out in the much-renovated apartment previously used by the Duchess of Portsmouth that damaged the older palace structures, though apparently not the state apartments. This actually gave a greater cohesiveness to the remaining complex, however a second fire on 4 January 1698 destroyed most of the remaining residential and government buildings, the diarist John Evelyn noted succinctly the next day, Whitehall burnt. Nothing but walls and ruins left, beside the Banqueting House, some buildings survived in Scotland Yard and some facing the park, along with the so-called Holbein Gate, eventually demolished in 1769. Despite some rebuilding, financial constraints prevented large scale reconstruction, in the second half of the 18th century, much of the site was leased for the construction of town houses

3.
London
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London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area

4.
Elizabeth I of England
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Elizabeth I was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, his second wife, who was executed two and a half years after Elizabeths birth. Annes marriage to Henry VIII was annulled, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate, edwards will was set aside and Mary became queen, deposing Lady Jane Grey. During Marys reign, Elizabeth was imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels, in 1558, Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister to the throne and set out to rule by good counsel. She depended heavily on a group of trusted advisers, led by William Cecil, one of her first actions as queen was the establishment of an English Protestant church, of which she became the Supreme Governor. This Elizabethan Religious Settlement was to evolve into the Church of England and it was expected that Elizabeth would marry and produce an heir to continue the Tudor line. She never did, despite numerous courtships, as she grew older, Elizabeth became famous for her virginity. A cult grew around her which was celebrated in the portraits, pageants, in government, Elizabeth was more moderate than her father and half-siblings had been. One of her mottoes was video et taceo, in religion, she was relatively tolerant and avoided systematic persecution. Elizabeth was cautious in foreign affairs, manoeuvring between the powers of France and Spain. She only half-heartedly supported a number of ineffective, poorly resourced military campaigns in the Netherlands, France, by the mid-1580s, England could no longer avoid war with Spain. Englands defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 associated Elizabeth with one of the greatest military victories in English history, Elizabeths reign is known as the Elizabethan era. Some historians depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered, sometimes indecisive ruler, towards the end of her reign, a series of economic and military problems weakened her popularity. Such was the case with Elizabeths rival, Mary, Queen of Scots, after the short reigns of Elizabeths half-siblings, her 44 years on the throne provided welcome stability for the kingdom and helped forge a sense of national identity. Elizabeth was born at Greenwich Palace and was named after both her grandmothers, Elizabeth of York and Elizabeth Howard and she was the second child of Henry VIII of England born in wedlock to survive infancy. Her mother was Henrys second wife, Anne Boleyn, at birth, Elizabeth was the heir presumptive to the throne of England. She was baptised on 10 September, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the Marquess of Exeter, the Duchess of Norfolk, Elizabeth was two years and eight months old when her mother was beheaded on 19 May 1536, four months after Catherine of Aragons death from natural causes. Elizabeth was declared illegitimate and deprived of her place in the royal succession, eleven days after Anne Boleyns execution, Henry married Jane Seymour, who died shortly after the birth of their son, Prince Edward, in 1537

5.
Galway
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Galway is a city in the West of Ireland in the province of Connacht. Galway City Council is the authority for the city. Galway lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay and is surrounded by County Galway and it is the fourth most populous urban area in the Republic of Ireland and the sixth most populous city in the island of Ireland. According to the 2016 Irish Census, Galway city has a population of 79,504, however, Galway will be European Capital of Culture in 2020, alongside Rijeka, Croatia. The citys name is from the Irish name for Abhainn na Gaillimhe, historically, the name was Anglicised as Galliv, which is closer to the Irish pronunciation as is the citys name in Latin, Galvia. The city also bears the nickname The City of the Tribes because of the fourteen merchant families called the tribes of Galway led the city in its Hiberno-Norman period. The term tribes was a one, because the merchants saw themselves as Anglo-Irish and were loyal to the King during the English Civil War. They later adopted the term as a badge of honour and pride in defiance of the towns Cromwellian occupier, residents of the city refer to themselves as Galwegians. Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe was constructed in 1124, by the King of Connacht, eventually, a small settlement grew up around this fort. During the Norman invasion of Connacht in the 1230s, Galway fort was captured by Richard Mor de Burgh, as the de Burghs eventually became Gaelicised, the merchants of the town, the Tribes of Galway, pushed for greater control over the walled city. This led to their complete control over the city and to the granting of mayoral status by the English crown in December 1484. Galway endured difficult relations with its Irish neighbours, a notice over the west gate of the city, completed in 1562 by Mayor Thomas Óge Martyn, stated From the Ferocious OFlahertys may God protect us. A by-law forbade the native Irish unrestricted access into Galway, saying neither O’ nor Mac shall strutte nor swagger through the streets of Galway without permission, during the Middle Ages, Galway was ruled by an oligarchy of fourteen merchant families. These were the The Tribes of Galway, the city thrived on international trade, and in the Middle Ages, it was the principal Irish port for trade with Spain and France. The most famous reminder of days is ceann an bhalla, now known as the Spanish Arch. In 1477 Christopher Columbus visited Galway, possibly stopping off on a voyage to Iceland or the Faroe Islands, seven or eight years later, he noted in the margin of his copy of Imago Mundi, Men of Cathay have come from the west. During the 16th and 17th centuries Galway remained loyal to the English crown for the most part, even during the Gaelic resurgence, however, by 1642 the city had allied itself with the Catholic Confederation of Kilkenny during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. During the resulting Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian forces captured the city after a nine-month siege, the great families of Galway were ruined

6.
Church of Ireland
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The Church of Ireland is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on a basis and is the second-largest Christian church on the island after the Catholic Church in Ireland. Like other Anglican churches, it has retained elements of pre-Reformation practice, notably its episcopal polity, nevertheless, in theological and liturgical matters, it incorporates many principles of the Reformation, particularly those espoused during the English Reformation. The church self identifies as being both Catholic and Reformed, within the church, differences exist between those members who are more Catholic-leaning and those who are more Protestant-leaning. For historical and cultural reasons, the Church of Ireland is generally identified as a Protestant church, the Church of Ireland is the second-largest in the Republic of Ireland, with around 130,000 members, and the third-largest in Northern Ireland, with around 260,000 members. The Church of Ireland describes itself as part of the Irish Church which was influenced by the Reformation. However, the Church of Ireland is also Protestant, or Reformed, since it opposes doctrines and ways of worshiping that it considers contrary to scripture and which led to the Reformation. When the Church of England broke communion with the Holy See, all, the church then became the established church of Ireland, assuming possession of most church property. This church-state link was vigorously applied when the Normans came to Ireland in the 12th century, Bishops were required to do homage to the king for their lands, just like earls and barons, who were vassals of the crown. It was therefore accepted, both during and after the Reformation, that the crown should continue to exercise authority over the church. In this way, church property that existed at the time of the Reformation, in Ireland, the substantial majority of the population continued to adhere to Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Legitimacy for the Norman invasion of Ireland was derived from a Papal Bull of 1155 – Laudabiliter, the bull gave King Henry II of England authority to invade Ireland ostensibly as a means of reforming the church in Ireland more directly under the control of the Holy See. The authorisation from the Holy See was based upon the Donation of Constantine which made every Christian island in the western Roman Empire the property of the Papacy. The Church of Ireland is the second largest church in Ireland, the Church of Ireland began as a reformed church independent of the Catholic Church in 1536 when the Irish Parliament declared King Henry VIII to be the Supreme Head of the Church on earth. He would not legally become king of Ireland until 1541, adrian granted Henry II the Lordship of Ireland, thus, Henrys assumption of the title of King had less to do with dispossessing the native Irish kings than with confronting the Pope. The reformation commenced mainly in Dublin under the auspices of George Browne during Henrys reign, when the Church of England was reformed under King Edward VI of England, so too was the Church of Ireland. All but two of the Irish bishops appointed by Queen Mary accepted the Elizabethan Settlement, although the vast majority of priests, the Church of Ireland claims Apostolic succession because of the unbroken continuity of the episcopal hierarchy, however, this is disputed by the Roman Catholic Church. In this way, they were able to conform to the established church whilst at the same time continuing to worship. in the traditional

7.
Turlough Luineach O'Neill
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Sir Turlough Luineach ONeill fostered by the OLunaigh family, son of Neill Chonnalaigh ONeill), was an Irish Gaelic lord of Tyrone in medieval Ireland. He was inaugurated upon Shane O’Neill’s death, becoming The ONeill, Turlough was born around 1530 at Seanchaisleán close to the modern town of Newtownstewart. He was the son of Niall Connallach macArt óg ONeill. As Tanist, Niall Connallach was designated to succeed his uncle Conn Bacach mac Conn, turloughs mother may have been Niall Connallachs wife, Rose ODonnell, the daughter of Manus, The ODonnell of the kingdom of Tyrconnell. Turlough was the grandson of Art óg macConn, The ONeill and was a descendant of Brian macNéill Ruad, The ONeill. Hugh was recognised by Turlough Luineach as captain of Tyrone, and as his Tanist, during summer 1595 Hugh seized the last castle still held by Turlough Luineach, razed it, and drove him into the wilderness. He died between 9 and 12 September, and was buried at Ardstraw, probably at the Franciscan Friary founded by his ancestors, Turlough Luineach has the distinction of being one of the most highly praised rulers by the Gaelic poets and musicians of his time. His father Niall Connallach had been a patron of the arts. He sheltered Uilliam Nuinseann when the poet was accused of conspiracy in the Baltinglass rebellion of 1580 and his wife Agnes Campbell was daughter of Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll. One of his daughters was married, as his second wife, another daughter was married to Donnell ODonnell, a leading figure in Tyrconnell until his death at the Battle of Doire Leathan in 1590. Turlough Luineachs successor was his son Sir Arthur ONeill, although Arthur did not succeed him as head of the dynasty. During Tyrones Rebellion, Arthur initially sided with his distant cousin the Earl of Tyrone, Arthur was then succeeded by his own son, Turlough ONeill. An sluagh sidhe so i nEamhuin and this article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, Chisholm, Hugh, ed. ONeill. Proinsias Ó Conluain Dutiful Old Knight and Formidable Foe, Dúiche Néill, hiram Morgan, Tyrones Rebellion, The Royal Historical Society & The Boydell Press, Woodbridge,1993. H. C. Hamilton, E. G. Atkinson and R. P. Mahaffy Calendar of State Papers Ireland,24 Vols, London, Kings of Tir Eogain Kings of Ailech Cenél nEógain

8.
Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
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Hugh ONeill, was an Irish Gaelic lord, Earl of Tyrone and was later created The Ó Néill. ONeill came from a line of the ONeill dynasty - derbfine - that the English authorities recognized as the successors to the chieftainship of the ONeills. He was the son of Matthew ONeill, reputed illegitimate son of Conn. In the ensuing conflict for the succession Matthew was killed by the Ó Donnaile followers of Shane and Conn, placing his sons Brian and Hugh in a precarious situation. ONeill succeeded his brother, Brian, as baron of Dungannon, ONeill was brought up in London, but after the death of Shane he returned to Ulster in 1567 under the protection of Sir Henry Sidney, lord deputy of Ireland. In Tyrone, Hughs cousin, Turlough Luineach ONeill had succeeded Shane ONeill as The ONeill, or chieftain, the crown therefore supported Hugh ONeill as the rightful claimant and as an ally in Gaelic controlled Ulster. Hugh was subsequently inaugurated as The ONeill at Tullahogue in the style of the former Gaelic kings, in keeping with the practice common at the time, he bribed officials both in Ireland and at Elizabeths court in London. In the early 1590s, English government in Ulster took the form of a Provincial Presidency, to be headed by the colonist, after Mabels death, ONeill gradually fell into a barely concealed opposition to the crown and sought aid from Spain and Scotland. ONeill was instantly proclaimed a traitor at Dundalk, the war that followed is known as the Nine Years War. ONeill followed Shanes policy of arming the people, rather than relying as Turlough had done upon Scots mercenary soldiers and he and other clan chiefs then offered the crown of Ireland to Philip II of Spain who refused it. In April 1596, ONeill received promises of help from Spain and this policy was a success and, even though Sir John Norris sought to bring him to heel, ONeill managed to defer English attempts on his territory for more than two years. In 1598, a cessation of hostilities was arranged and a pardon granted to ONeill by Elizabeth. It was the greatest of all setbacks to English arms in Ireland, but Tyrone, who possessed but little generalship, procrastinated until the golden opportunity was lost. Eight months after the battle of the Yellow Ford, a new Lord Lieutenant, Essex found that ONeill had been waiting to see what might be attempted against him. At this point the controversial Jesuit, James Archer, was operating as his representative at the Spanish court. A large reward was offered for the capture, dead or alive. In October 1601, the aid from Spain appeared in the form of an army} under Don Juan de Aguila. They gained little support en route, at Bandon they joined together, and then blockaded the English army that was laying siege to the Spanish

9.
County Fermanagh
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County Fermanagh is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km² and has a population of about 61,805, Enniskillen is the county town and largest in both size and population. Fermanagh is within the province of Ulster. Fermanagh is one of four counties of Northern Ireland to have a majority of its population from a Catholic background, according to the 2011 census. Fermanagh borders County Tyrone to the north-east, County Monaghan to the south-east, County Cavan to the south-west, County Leitrim to the west, the county town, Enniskillen, is the largest settlement in Fermanagh, situated in the middle of the county. It is mainly rural and is situated largely in the basin of the River Erne and it is dominated by two connected lakes, Upper and Lower Lough Erne, and, including water, spans an area of 1,851 km². It is approximately 120 km from Belfast and 160 km from Dublin, Fermanagh accounts for 13. 2% of land mass of Northern Ireland and 30% of Fermanagh is covered with lakes and waterways. The Annals of Ulster which cover medieval Ireland between AD431 to AD1540 were written at Belle Isle on Lough Erne near Lisbellaw, Fermanagh was a stronghold of the Maguire clan and Donn Carrach Maguire was the first of the chiefs of the Maguire dynasty. However, on the confiscation of lands relating to Hugh Maguire, Fermanagh was divided in similar manner to the other five escheated counties among Scottish and English undertakers and native Irish. The chief families to benefit under the new settlement were the families of Cole, Blennerhasset, Butler, Hume, and Dunbar. Fermanagh was made into a county by statute of Elizabeth I, the closure of all the lines of Great Northern Railway within County Fermanagh in 1957 left the county as the first non-island county in the UK without a railway service. With the creation of Northern Irelands district councils, Fermanagh District Council the only one of the 26 that contained all of the county from which it derived its name. For the purposes of elections to the UK Parliament, the territory of Fermanagh is part of the Fermanagh, agriculture and tourism are two of the most important industries in Fermanagh. The main types of farming in the area are beef, dairy, sheep, pigs, most of the agricultural land is used as grassland for grazing and silage or hay rather than for other crops. The waterways are used by cabin cruisers, other small pleasure craft. The main town of Fermanagh is Enniskillen, only Ballinamallard United F. C. take part in the Northern Ireland football league system. All other Fermanagh clubs play in the Fermanagh & Western FA league systems, Fermanagh Mallards F. C. played in the Womens Premier League until 2013. Famous Football players from Fermanagh include Roy Carroll, Harry Chatton, Barry Owens, famous people born, raised in or living in Fermanagh. P

10.
Tyrone
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County Tyrone is one of the six historic counties of Northern Ireland. It is also one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is no used as an administrative division for local government. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 3,155 km² and has a population of about 177,986, with its county town being Omagh. The name Tyrone is derived from Irish Tír Eoghain, meaning land of Eoghan, historically, it was anglicised as Tirowen or Tyrowen, which are closer to the Irish pronunciation. Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern-day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610–1620 when that went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on natural resources located there. Tyrone was the stronghold of the various ONeill clans and families. In 1608 during ODohertys Rebellion areas of the country were plundered, however, ODohertys men avoided the estates of the recently fled Earl of Tyrone around Dungannon, fearing Tyrones anger if he returned from his exile. With an area of 3,155 square kilometres, Tyrone is the largest county in Northern Ireland, the length of the county, from the mouth of the River Blackwater at Lough Neagh to the western point near Carrickaduff hill is 55 miles. The breadth, from the corner, southeast of Fivemiletown, to the northeastern corner near Meenard Mountain is 37.5 miles. Annaghone lays claim to be the centre of Northern Ireland. Tyrone is connected by land to the county of Fermanagh to the southwest, Monaghan to the south, Armagh to the southeast, Londonderry to the north, across Lough Neagh to the east, it borders County Antrim. It is the eighth largest of Irelands thirty-two counties by area and it is the second largest of Ulsters nine traditional counties by area and fourth largest by population. It is one of four counties in Northern Ireland which currently has a majority of the population from a Catholic community background, in 1900 County Tyrone had a population of 197,719, while in 2011 it was 177,986. The major sports in Tyrone are Gaelic games, association football, Gaelic football is the most popular sport in the county with Gaelic football being more widely played than hurling. The Tyrone GAA football side has had success since 2000. They have also won fourteen Ulster titles and two National League titles, association football also has a large following

11.
O'Neill dynasty
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The ONeill dynasty is a group of families, ultimately all of Irish Gaelic origin, that have held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As Chiefs of Cenél nEógain, they are historically the most prominent family of the Northern Uí Néill, along with the ODonnell, the ONeills hold that their ancestors were Kings of Ailech during the Early Middle Ages, as descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages. A number of their progenitors and members are named as High Kings of Ireland, such as Niall Glúndub, from 1185 until 1616, the ONeills were sovereign Kings of Tír Eógain, holding territories in the north of Ireland, particularly around what is today County Tyrone. The ONeill clan claims descent from Niall Glúndub, a 10th-century king of Ailech as well as High King of Ireland, Niall descended from the Cenél nEógain branch of the Northern Uí Néill. The first to adopt the surname was Niall Glúndubs great-great-grandson. The ONeill clan does not receive a mention in recorded history until 1160, in 1167 the high-king of Ireland, Ruaidri Ua Concobhair marched north and divided the kingdom of Tír Eoghain into two. The portion north of Slieve Gallion, was given to Niall Mac Lochlainn, with the south of Slieve Gallion. After this the two rival clans contested for control over Tír Eoghain until the battle of Caimeirge in 1241, once the MacLaughlins were defeated, the ONeills spread out and slowly dominated the other client clans across Ulster and the other Irish kingdoms. They used the disruption of the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169 to their benefit and were able to consolidate their hold on the half of Ulster. The Bruce Invasion of Ireland devastated the Norman Earldom of Ulster, the dominant Gaelic and Anglo-Irish leaders were in tune with their contemporary peers of the Middle Ages in terms of education, international trade, and diplomacy. In 1171, King Henry II of England came to Ireland to remove the authority of the Norman lords in Ireland and he met the leading Irish kings and received the pledge of fealty from them. During the Middle Ages, the ONeills of Tyrone were active politically and militarily throughout Ireland, occasionally sending nobility to fight within Ireland and in campaigns in Europe. From 1312 to 1318, the ONeill kings were staunch supporters of King Robert the Bruce and they sent troops and supported Edward in his attempt to become King of Ireland in 1315. In 1394 Richard II of England deemed King Niall Mor Le Grand ONeill upon a friendly hosting of the two kings. In 1493, Henry VIII of England referred to Henry ONeill, King of Tyrone, as the Chief of the Irish Kings, the ONeills independent stature within Ulster began to change with the ascent of King Henry VIII in England in 1509. Soon after he took the English throne, Henry decided to grasp Ireland via a reputed Papal Bull that claimed to grant the lordship of Ireland to English kings and this was spurred by the 1547 Rising of Silken Thomas Fitzgerald. The ONeills supported their FitzGerald dynasty cousins in that rebellion and had to maneuver politically to keep the English from toppling their power in Ulster when the rising failed, Henry began a policy to reduce the kings in Ireland to the same rank and structure as the English nobility. The last King of Tyrone and first original earldom was one such grant by Henry VIII in 1542 to Conn Bacach ONeill, on the creation of the Kingdom of Ireland

12.
Maguire
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Maguire is an Irish surname from the Gaelic Mac Uidhir, which is son of Odhar or son of the dun or dark coloured one. According to legend, the eleventh in descent from Colla da Chrich, great-grandson of Cormac mac Airt, as a given name, Maguire is uncommon. The Maguire sept is primarily associated with modern-day County Fermanagh, the Maguires supplied Chiefs or Princes to Fermanagh, from about A. D.1264, when they supplanted the former Chieftains. The family was first mentioned in the Annals as early as 956 AD and have always been associated with the other leading septs of Ulster such as the ONeill. They spawned several well-known branches which became septs in their own right, including Mac Manus, Mac Caffrey, Mac Hugh, the name is among the forty most common names in Ireland, among the top twenty-five in Ulster, ten in Co. Monaghan and is the single most common name in Co, Fermanagh takes its name from the family. Connors son Bryan was made Baron Maguire of Enniskillen in 1627, Bryans son Connor, during translation in the Ulster Plantation, various English translations of the original Mag Uidhir appeared, including Mc Guire, Maguire, Mac Guire and McGuire. In South West Donegal, the name is re-translated into Gaelic as Mac Guibhir, an unusual version is Meguiar, an American spelling best known from Meguiars Wax. The Maguire clan motto is Justia et Fortitudo Invincibilia Sunt, which is Latin for Justice, Baron Maguire, Two Barons Maguire of Enniskillen in the Peerage of Ireland Bassett Maguire, American botanist Cathy Maguire, Irish singer-songwriter, TV personality from Dundalk, Co Louth. Charles A. Louis, Missouri, USA Gerard Maguire, Australian actor Gregory Maguire, American author Graham McGuire, lisa Maguire, Irish golfer, twin of Leona